Giffords's doc: We'll know in a year

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's doctor says it will be about a year before it can be known whether she can return to Congress, bringing into question whether she will be able to meet Arizona's May 2012 filing deadline for reelection.

"I think in about a year or so, we will have a better idea of what her functional abilities are going to be eventually," Dr. Gerard Francisco, who is overseeing Giffords's recovery, told POLITICO.

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Francisco, who was on the Hill on Thursday for a briefing of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, said Giffords's recovery over the past few months has so far exceeded his expectations after she was shot at point-blank range outside a Tucson supermarket in January.

"I know people are thinking it's just a nice thing to say, but it really is true," Francisco told POLITICO. "I think the reason we were able to do that is that she's very fortunate she did not experience a lot of the complications that many other people have. And she was able to get an intense rehabilitation program. I really think we were able to guide the recovery of the brain because of the intensity we were able to bring to her."

When asked when Giffords may be able to return to her congressional duties, Francisco stressed that it's still early into her recovery process.

Giffords's chief of staff Pia Carusone told the Arizona Republic earlier this month that Giffords is not close to being able to return to Congress and said the only timetable for her to decide whether to seek reelection is the May deadline.

Francisco said that he has seen Giffords "almost every single day" since the third-term congresswoman was released from Houston's TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital last week.

Francisco, who described Giffords's rehabilitation program as "quite intense," said she has been provided with more challenging physical, cognitive and speech activities. She attends outpatient therapy each day and continues rehabbing at home.

"I'm sure you've seen her picture in the newspaper — she looked good," Francisco said, referring to recently released photos of Giffords. "She's a hard worker, and that's one of the reasons she's accomplished so much in the past four months."

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 4:45 p.m. on June 23, 2011.